His Last Article

"Camera"

A loud marching of footsteps caught my attention. I checked the time in my phone and was alarmed when it's midnight. Exactly midnight!

I'm in the middle of my sleep but the footsteps from outside are totally destructing me from falling asleep deeply.

With head still sleepy I grab my eyeglasses from my bag pack placed under the foldable bed.

I noticed there is no one sleeping on the other bed. It's totally cold here. Imagine this base somewhere in a mountainous region, facing the cold blowing breeze from the sea.

My feet suddenly drag me outside. I don't know but there were five lines of armies reporting and saluting to the one standing in front of them which I believe must be their head.

An awkward gaze met mine by a Filipino soldier who was in the middle of saluting to his higher officer.

I don't know why and what his gaze means but I am about to go back inside when he was scolded by his Officer.

It took my attention so much because it was a Filipino soldier who was scolded. I hurried back inside and took my camera, I positioned somewhere they cannot see me recording them yet taking a clear and a sharp recording.

"Ano gawa mo diyan? Miss?" A voice cracked from behind me that made me say a cursing word loudly. After finding out who it was, my sleepy mood changed into a burning face ready to kill.

Captain David Lee.

When the officer who was scolding the Filipino soldier noticed a sound from behind them, Captain Lee grabbed my hand and pushed me through the wall allowing me to see his bare face. My breathing was loud. Loud enough that I can see it in a fog due to reaction with the cold temperature of the place.

He pushed his right arm against the wall, making me enclosed in his arms.

"Shh..." He whispered, I can feel it give an electronic feels.

"shuí zài nàer?" a masculine voice asked in chinese words which I believe asking for who are we. When I noticed what position we are into I lowered my head.

"zhè shì David Lee xiānshēng ! dìwǔ yíng de duìzhǎng (It's me Captain of the Fifth Battalion David Arthur Lee, Sir!)" He said and saluted removing his arms that enveloped me. He grabbed my hands making me standing beside him facing his senior.

"And what are you two doing here?" He asked.

"Nothing Sir!" I replied with no hesitation but with my head facing the ground. I can see the other soldiers looking at me.

"At this late hour? Nothing?" He questioned.

"nín duì xiānshēng de qīwàng shì shénme ? (What do you expect Sir?)" The man beside me answered him speaking in Chinese.

A loud slap suddenly landed on his face!

"Is that how you should answer your senior officer?" The man in front of us asked him. I can feel the tense running from their exchange of gazes.

David looked at him sharply. His other soldiers from behind us are starting to feel nervous. What will this scene lead afterwards? What the hell did I do.

Gladly the camera I was holding dropped at exactly in an unnoticeable place! I felt relieved afterwards when a loud voice coming from the man in front of us asked my identity.

"And you? Why are you here?" He asked.

"I'm a journalist sir! I'm Shae Ver Nellio from GY journals of the Philippines" I answered nervously.

I suddenly felt my hands shaking, I saw him averted his gaze on me and I felt his hands holding mine.

The officer was intrigued by his action and asked both of us to follow him on his office. I should've been out from this situation when he did not hold my hand. I sharply look at him while following his senior officer.

But he just made me more triggered from him smiling as if there is nothing hard punishment we are going to face after.

"What do you worry about?" He asked. His English is not so good but clear and can be understood.

I just replied him with a sharp gaze.

It's about two in the morning and we are currently sitting in front of his senior officer's table. His senior left for a while and told us to wait in this stock room s***h office s***h locker room.

This place is wide and lockers are placed at each side of the wall. It's five tents far from the tent I am staying.

"Wala ikaw dapat i-worry" he suddenly said breaking the silence from both of us. Him speaking in Tagalog is just annoying.

I just stare and familiarize the place but I noticed he was staring straight at me. Which I find so strange and weird.

"You scrub your hands..."

"You eagerly drag your feet against the floor..."

"You are acting strange..."

He uttered as if he was observing what and how I feel.

"Siguro worry ikaw sa parusa ni Sir" he answered and grab my hands.

I wanna back off from this work. But it's too late. I'm far from my family and it will take almost four hour drive from here down to the city where they are staying. I just wanna cry at this rate. Plus here is this man in front of me acting as if we are close. I just did not expect the heaviness of this task.

"You must be nervous Miss" he said in a husk and manly voice. It took much of my attention when he grabbed my hand and do the 'close-open' thing that toddlers learn.

I don't know why I let him do it but my hands just automatically out of my control.

"When I'm nervous I always do this..." He said and faced me.

The light and shade from outside made his face more clear. I noticed how his jaw lines sharp are and how his nose perfectly suit the shape of his lips.

He continued to form my hand in a close-open manner. I don't know but it eased the heaviness inside me.

"It's hard to be in distance from your family" he said and smiled returning my hand.

"But I'm here..." He speaks.

It feels like for the first time I have someone whom I can lean on. Yet, I should not trust someone here because of the task ahead of me.

We both stand synchronously when his senior arrived.

"I just received the report coming from the Arm-Forces of the Philippines Miss Shae" he started.

"Thank you that you have accepted this job and I'm hoping that a good article will be released on November" he continued and smiled.

For a second I thought he will both scold us.

"But you are here in the bilateral base of Chinese and Philippine Army..." He speaks. He is cutting his word. And my eagerness to hear his next words just continue to progress wanting me to directly speak up. But I suddenly felt a hard pressed in my hand. I looked at David but he's staring straight to his senior.

"It means you are under my rule...and what both of you done earlier and just now!..." He said pointing out the 'now', causes me to break my hand from his grip.

"Is all against my rule..." He smirked.

This old man intrigues me more and more. The way he speaks is damn annoying.

"Starting tomorrow, both of you will work together in the kitchen" he speak.

Para naman akong mahulugan ng bato sa ulo lalo pa't hindi ko alam paano magluto.

"Yes Sir!" David replied and give him a salute.

His senior officer laugh before we could leave the room.

"Ba't siya tumatawa?" I asked him after we had left the door.

"Being in the kitchen is the worst punishment for soldiers. In simple words, it's a thing that soldiers don't do" he replied.

He walks me down the tent I am staying at.

"But you know what?" He said.

"Of course I don't" I sarcastically replied.

"Being look down don't matter to me as long as I'm with you. Good Night Miss Shae!" He said and smiled genuinely.

He turned his back and started walking while his hands still waving on me.

What's wrong with that guy?

What sudden aching of this heart all about?

Why do I feel so sad and empty seeing him vanish from in front of me?